


Weakness

by ProblemWithTrouble



Series: 00Q [20]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Bond can't do emotions, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 11:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14831603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProblemWithTrouble/pseuds/ProblemWithTrouble
Summary: Bond was aware of each and every one of his weaknesses; being an agent forced that on him if he wanted to survive.  Q happens to be one of those weaknesses.





	Weakness

Bond was aware of each and every one of his weaknesses; being an agent forced that on him if he wanted to survive. There were more than a few but his soft spot for dark hair and sharp tongues had gotten him into more trouble than he could remember. The least of which was its status as the foundation of his wild affection for his quartermaster. 

Bond could blame his weakness for it but he still wasn’t stupid so he kept every fluttering feeling for Q under careful constraint. He could only allow it to show in ways he could be sure Q never saw. Like following Q home. 

If Q ever found out it wouldn’t take more than a split second for him to ruin every facet of Bond’s life. Q could do that with a look and nothing more if he truly wanted. But Bond was a secret agent for Her Majesty’s Secret Service and he wasn’t likely to get spotted acting as Q’s protective shadow by the boffin. 

As Bond watched Q through the commute Bond started to wonder if maybe Q was going to prove he could destroy Bond without even knowing it. His eyes were glued to his phone through four train transfers, two of which were unnecessary and the whole time Q’s smile never faded. At one point in the reflection of the glass Bond could see that Q was texting and that the name at the top was nothing but five heart emojis. Bond didn’t want to think about who that was. 

The second largest weakness of the agent was his stubborn attitude that couldn’t be changed no matter how many signs pointed in the opposite direction. That was how Bond found himself with a breaking heart still following Q.

When they were almost at the end of the line Q got off and on the street went into a small Vietnamese restaurant and walked out with two styrofoam boxes and checking his phone. In that second Bond realized that he was seeing Q walk home to a date. A date in his home. 

Somewhere from the same depths that held Bond’s careful affection for Q came a sharp pain that twisted around his chest until it was hard to breath. Bond didn’t follow Q the last block.

If Q had a date Bond didn’t need to see them.

* * *

The next day Bond was given a mission to Cusco and tried not to think to much of it when he walked into Q-Branch and found that Q had assigned Bond’s mission to R. Q didn’t so much as say a word to Bond, R just ushered him away and outfitted Bond with his kit. 

Bond caught that there was a half finished container of food next to Q’s workstation before R was able to force him out of the branch with a glare. He tried not to be relieved at the thought that Q’s mystery date hadn’t shown the night before and was now eating the food that Bond had watched him carry out for someone else. There was a spring in his step despite his best efforts. 

He was still in an inordinately good mood through his whole mission and when he landed back home and walked into Q-Branch. Q on the other hand seemed to still be in his foul mood. He didn’t dismiss Bond to someone else but when Bond leaned against the edge of the desk instead of taking a break to talk to Bond as they tended towards Q just gave him a flat look. “Did you need something?”

“No.”

“Well some of us have actual work to do.” He focused back completely on his screens and didn’t give Bond another glance. 

Bond took his dismissal and headed for his debrief with Mallory.

He was ready to chalk up Q’s foul mood to being stood up and maybe even a break up until he joked with Moneypenny about it and she looked like he had lost his mind. 

That night Bond decided he was going to find out exactly what it was that had out Q in such a mood. He followed Q much like he did the last night he had been in London. 

This time Q’s eyes were still locked on his phone but there was no smile and every step toward home seemed to cost Q something deep inside. There was less twisting and turning on the way home and Q only took one detour. When he turned a corner Bond hurried after him but Q was stopped and waiting for him. 

“If you’re going to follow me at least put some effort into it,” Q said. The weary slump of Q’s shoulders was gone but it had been replaced with a hard line of anger in his frown and not the light teasing Bond craved.

“You didn’t notice me last time,” Bond shot back with an easy grin.

Q’s expression morphed quickly from anger to confusion to affronted in a single breath. “I am your quartermaster, did you honestly think you could follow me without being noticed?” 

“To be fair to you, you did seem distracted,” Bond said, motioning just enough to Q’s phone.

“I was tracking you.” Q leveled a look at him that clearly meant 'must I explain everything to you?'

“I’m supposed to believe that?”

“I don’t care what you believe, Bond. Just stop following me. I can’t be buying dinner for people who don’t show up.” Without another word and still looking like he had won something Q turned and started to walk away.

When Bond’s brain stopped spinning in circles Q was working open the front door of his building. 

“You bought the other dinner for me?”

“Seeing as it ended up my lunch, no,” Q said and then slipped through the building’s front door and pulled it shut before Bond could get a hand inside to stop him.

* * *

Bond spent most of the next day in the Double-0 specified gym working out by himself. It was sparsely furnished with a mat in the middle, some weights, and a treadmill and not much else. There was rarely anyone in there since Double-0s were rarely home at the same time. 

The unlocking of the door had Bond curious enough to slow down his run as he saw Tanner walk into the room. 

“Bending the rules of 48 hour cool off?” Bond asked with a grin. 

“No, you’re leave has been extending by a minimum of three days.” 

That was enough to get Bond to get off the machine. “Why?”

“You’ve been following the quartermaster home,” Tanner said. 

“He reported me?”

“Not officially.”

Bond waited for him to continue. 

“You might find this difficult to believe but sometimes people are friends and they tell each other things,” Tanner fixed him with an unimpressed look. “Especially when those things are agents following them home. What were you thinking?” 

“He didn’t officially report me but you’re grounding me for three extra days?” Bond asked instead of answering. He knew why he had followed Q but he couldn’t very well tell Tanner.

“Your stalking habit hasn’t been added to the record but you do need to sort your shit out and we can ground you for as long as we need to if we think you’re not stable enough for the field,” Tanner said, looking more exasperated by the second. When Bond didn’t say anything else Tanner shook his head and sighed. “Sort your shit out.” Tanner left Bond alone after that. 

Bond’s third weakness was his tendency to act without thinking. In just a few minutes Bond showered and dressed to head to Q-Branch. 

He found Q in his office bent over gun schematics and he only glanced up for a half second when Bond walked in. 

“I didn’t get a notification of a new mission for you.”

“It’s self assigned,” Bond said with a grin. 

“When isn’t it?” Q asked, looking up from his work. 

Bond allowed himself a small smile that Q returned easily. “I want to buy you dinner.”

“Why?”

“To make up for standing you up.”

“You didn’t stand me up. We didn’t have a date.”

“We can change that.” 

Q sat back in his chair. “Bond, I don’t know what you are trying to accomplish here but whatever it is it’s not necessary.”

“I’m trying to accomplish a date with you.”

“Is that why you followed me home?” 

That gave Bond pause. He might not have been able to tell Tanner why he followed Q home those nights but he had to be able to tell Q. “I wanted to make sure you got home.”

“So you stalked me home?”

“If you can spot a Double-0 you can spot anyone following you.”

“I don’t have SmartBlood injected in everyone,” Q said.

Bond let himself laugh enough that even Q’s smile spread and his shoulders loosened. “So, dinner?”

“Do you promise to stop stalking me?”

“If you’re going to let me come inside I don’t need to stalk do I?”

Q’s grin went a little sharp and pleased. “We’ll see where I let you come.”

Bond’s could help but laugh. He got the feeling that his list of weaknesses was going to need some editing.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt from [clair-comme-le-cristal](https://clair-comme-le-cristal.tumblr.com) Bond spying on Q.
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://whishaw-bradshaw.tumblr.com)


End file.
